Flybe has announced a pre-tax profit of almost £7million and has a plan to expand further into Europe this year.

The airline made £6.8million in the financial year to the end of March. The chairman of Flybe, Jim French claimed it to be one of the only three major European carriers to make a profit over the recession.

The airline carried fewer passengers than in 2008/09 but the profits were aided by the sale of ancillary items, which rose 15.9% to an average of £11.98 per passenger. The airline cut its debts down from £49.8m to £21m during the year.

French said: “While the global economic outlook remains unclear, we remain optimistic that Flybe will continue to make strong progress during 2010/11, especially as a result of our recent deals with Air France and Embraer.”